Swiss become more conservative
Swiss have become more attached to their homeland and less open towards other countries in the past decade, a survey has found.
Demoscope’s annual survey of 2,000 French- and German-speaking Swiss aims to take the pulse of national thinking.
Responses to 26 questions showed notions of roots and humility gained in importance in the past year.
Overall, respondents were less open to change and life outside Swiss borders. However, the conservative shift was not as strong as had been observed when the survey was first carried out in 1974.
The trend began at the start of the new millennium after events like September 11 and the “grounding” of Swissair, said Sandra Beffa, of Demoscope. The financial crisis could have reinforced such sentiment, she noted.
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